Undergraduate Scholarships

This scholarship was established by Astronomy and Physics faculty member Arthur I. and Helen M. Poland and is awarded to a full-time student pursuing a degree in the College of Science. The student will qualify based on academic merit and financial need. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be completed and submitted to the Office of Student Financial Aid by the scholarship deadline date to determine eligibility for this scholarship. 

This scholarship opens on February 1, 2025, and will close on May 31 for the 2025-2026 Academic School Year.

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The Barbara J. and B. Mark Fried Endowed Scholarship was established in 2004 by Barbara and Mark Fried. Mr. and Mrs. Fried have a long history of service to George Mason University. Mrs. Fried has served on the George Mason University Foundation Board of Trustees, and Mr. Fried served on the George Mason University Board of Visitors from 1991 – 1995. This fund provides scholarships for full-time, in-state students, initially chosen as incoming freshmen. Applicants must have graduated from a high school in the counties or cities of Arlington, Fairfax, Alexandria, or Falls Church. Recipients will qualify on the basis of demonstrated financial need and academic potential and must not be employed more than 20 hours per week in a part-time job. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be completed and submitted to the Office of Student Financial Aid by the scholarship deadline date in order to determine eligibility for this scholarship. 

Applications for School Year 2023-2024 have closed, applications will reopen spring '23 for School Year 2024-2025.

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The Birchard Biology Senior Scholarship was established by former professor, Dr. Geoffrey F. Birchard.  The scholarship will be awarded to a rising senior who is pursuing a degree in Biology.  Recipients can be part-time or full-time students and may be in-state or out-of-state students.  Recipients will qualify based on academic merit and financial need.  Scholarship recipients will be selected by a committee composed of faculty from the Department of Biology. All applicants will need to have a FAFSA on file.

This scholarship opens on February 1, 2025, and will close on May 31 for the 2025-2026 Academic School Year.

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This scholarship fund is made possible through the generosity of many annual alumni and community donors and can be awarded to any student pursuing a degree in the College of Science. Students will qualify on the basis of academic merit and financial need. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be completed and submitted to the Office of Student Financial Aid by the scholarship deadline date in order to determine eligibility for this scholarship.

This scholarship is now open and will close on May 31 for the 2024-2025 school year.

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This scholarship was established to provide support for incoming undergraduates pursuing an atmospheric sciences degree within the Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Earth Sciences Department. Recipients may be enrolled full-time or part-time, may be in-state or out-of-state, will qualify on the basis of academic merit, and will be selected by a committee appointed by the Dean of the College of Science in coordination with the Office of Student Financial Aid. This scholarship is renewable. 

This scholarship is currently closed. If you are an incoming undergraduate, please contact your advisor for additional information.

The DigitalGlobe Foundation Geography and Geoinformation Science Endowed Scholarship was established in 2019 to provide tuition-only support for full-time College of Science undergraduate students, pursuing a degree in Geography and Geoinformation Science. 

Please contact the Department of Geography and Geoinformation Science for additional details.

The Dr. Saba Mahboob Memorial Endowed Scholarship was established in 2020 by the Mahboob Education Foundation to provide scholarship support for science students. Recipients must be enrolled full-time, must be in-state students, may be undergraduate or graduate students, and will be selected on the basis of financial need and outstanding merit. Preference will be given to students pursuing a degree in chemistry. This scholarship is renewable.

Applications for this scholarship are not open for School Year 2023-2024.

The Environmental Science and Policy Scholarship was established in 2004 to provide scholarships for students studying environmental science and policy. 

Applications will open shortly, please contact the Environmental Science and Policy department for questions.

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The merit-based Eugenie V. Mielczarek Scholarship will be available to those who wish to go into the physics field. Mason students ranging from entering freshmen to juniors are eligible, provided they aspire to become physics majors and maintain at least a B average while attending Mason.

If you are interested in this opportunity please contact your academic advisor for more information.

The Feinstein Award in Math was established in 1992 by late Mason Professor Hyman I. Feinstein. The fund provides awards to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing a degree in Mathematics. 

This award is awarded each spring. Please get in touch with the Mathematical Sciences department for questions.

To support student scholarships and fellowships for forensic science students, with recipients determined by the Forensic Science faculty committee.

Please contact the Forensic Science department for information on this award.

This scholarship was established in 2008 by Dr. John A. Schreifels, former Chemistry department Chair, and is awarded to a full-time, rising senior pursuing a chemistry degree in the College of Science. The student will qualify on the basis of academic merit, dedication to leadership, and strong community involvement within the chemistry department. 

Please contact the Chemistry department for additional information on this scholarship.

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This scholarship was established by Michele T. Souza, ’02 BIS, in memory of John Souza III and is awarded to a full-time College of Science student pursuing a degree in Environmental Science and Policy. The student must have academic merit and financial need. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be completed and submitted to the Office of Student Financial Aid by the scholarship deadline date to determine eligibility for this scholarship.

This scholarship opens on February 1, 2025, and will close on May 31 for the 2025-2026 Academic School Year.

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The Long Nguyen and Kimmy Duong Scholarship Programis for undergraduate students enrolled in Washington, DC area institutions: the University of Maryland, George Mason University, Northern Virginia Community College, Montgomery College, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, University of Virginia and Virginia Common Wealth University.

These undergraduate scholarships are available to all US Citizens and permanent residents (except the 3 Gold scholarships that will be reserved for Vietnamese students from Vietnam, who have been accepted to US universities) who demonstrate:

• Outstanding academic achievement
• Strong leadership potential
• A track record of service to the communities
• Pride in their culture and heritage, and
• A passion to apply their academic background to create a better world
• Financial need
• Special consideration will be given to students with unique situations, for example:
  • Low to moderate incomes
  • Single parents returning to school to improve their families’ lives, or
  • Students who are trying to recover from a past criminal record and improve their own lives
  • Attending the scholarship ceremony to accept the scholarship award

Each undergraduate scholarship will be $1,000, $2,000 or $3,000 annually.  The scholarship is renewable annually for up to 4 years, for students who are pursuing a bachelor degree.

*3 Gold scholarships will be reserved for Vietnamese students from Vietnam, who have been accepted to US universities.

For more details about qualifications, see the Qualifications - DC/VA/MD page. To apply for a scholarship, see the Applying - DC/VA/MD page.

This scholarship was established in 2011 in memory of former faculty member, Carol D. Litchfield, Ph.D. and is awarded to full-time students in the College of Science. The student will qualify on the basis of academic merit and may be in-state or out-of-state. 

This scholarship opens on February 1, 2025, and will close on May 31 for the 2025-2026 Academic School Year.

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The Litchfield College of Science Undergraduate Endowed Scholarship was established in 2012 through an estate gift from Dr. Carol Litchfield. The fund provides scholarships to undergraduate students in the College of Science. 

Please contact your advisor for additional information.

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This scholarship was established in 2013 by Mark D. Monson, BS ‘74 Biology, and is awarded to a full time, in-state, rising senior pursuing a biology degree in the College of Science. The student will qualify on the basis of financial need and a dedication to leadership and strong community involvement. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be completed and submitted to the Office of Student Financial Aid by the scholarship deadline date in order to determine eligibility for this scholarship.

This scholarship opens on February 1, 2025, and will close on May 31 for the 2025-2026 Academic School Year.

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The Math Department Scholarship Fund was established in 2005 to provide general scholarship support for students within the Department. 

This scholarship opens on February 1, 2025, and will close on May 31 for the 2025-2026 Academic School Year.

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The Newman Family Foundation scholarship was established to provide support for undergraduate and graduate student research and scholarships. Must be pursuing a degree within the Department of Physics and Astronomy; full-time or part-time, in-state or out-of-state.

Research awardees: qualify on the basis of academic merit and departmental priorities.

Scholarship awardees: qualify on the basis of academic merit and financial need.

Selected by the department faculty committee and SFA. The scholarship is renewable.

Please see your advisor for information on this award, it is awarded annually.

The Physics and Astronomy Scholarship was established in 2002 to provide scholarships for students studying physics and astronomy. 

Please contact your advisor/Physics and Astronomy department for additional information on this scholarship.

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This scholarship was established by Dr. Harold Geller (MAIS ’92 D.A. ’05) in memory of his brother Richard B. Geller and is awarded to a full-time student majoring in Mathematics. The student will qualify on the basis of academic merit and financial need. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be completed and submitted to the Office of Student Financial Aid by the scholarship deadline date in order to determine eligibility for this scholarship. 

This scholarship opens on February 1, 2025, and will close on May 31 for the 2025-2026 Academic School Year.

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The Riverside Research Accelerated Master’s Program Scholarship Program was established in 2020 by the Riverside Research Institute to provide tuition-only scholarship support for students completing coursework in artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer engineering, plasma and electromagnetics, satellite systems, and related fields. 

Scholarship recipients must be enrolled full-time in the following accelerated master’s programs within the College of Science and Volgenau School of Engineering: 

• Applied and Engineering Physics
• Computational Science
• Computer Engineering
• Computer Science
• Data Analytics Engineering
• Mathematics
• Statistical Science

Preference will be given to students who express financial need through a personal essay and belong to groups underrepresented nationally in these fields as designated by the US National Science Foundation. Recipients will be chosen as undergraduates who have been admitted into one of the above programs.

This scholarship is for $14,100 and is open NOW for Fall 2024.

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The Noyce Scholars Program supports students who are seeking to inspire the next generation of STEM professionals. The scholarship is open to Mason students pursuing a career in Secondary STEM education. Eligible students must be pursuing one of three educational tracks, with the intent to teach secondary-level STEM (students in grades 7-12) upon graduation:

1. Secondary-level teaching licensure in a STEM field via the College of Education and Human Development, or
2. A Mason Bachelor Accelerated Master's (BAM) program in a STEM field, or
3. A Mason Master of Science Degree program in a STEM field.

The program provides pre-scholarship engagement and professional development, robust funding to support BAM/graduate study, and mentoring support through the first year of teaching.  The scholarship is renewable for up to four semesters.  Each semester of funding requires a one-year teaching commitment at a NSF-designated “high-needs school district” (most Northern Virginia school districts qualify).

Program Eligibility:

• Current George Mason University student (undergraduate with 75+ completed credits, or graduate)
• Pursuing an approved track and pursuing a teaching license
• GPA 3.0 or higher
• US citizen or legal resident

Applications are open year-round and scholarships are awarded on a rolling basis. 

Learn more about the Noyce Scholars Program. 

For further information, email Dr. Tina Bell at tbell22@gmu.edu.

Dr. Stanley Zoltek, a professor engrained in the Departments of Mathematics, Physics & Astronomy, and Computational and Data Sciences since 1980 passed away on February 25, 2018. The Stanley Zoltek Memorial Scholarship recognizes Stan’s active participation across multiple college and university endeavors, from educator to long-term member of the Faculty Senate. 

The Dr. Stanley Zoltek Memorial Endowed Scholarship was established to provide scholarship support for College of Science undergraduate students with majors in the Departments of Mathematical Sciences, Physics and Astronomy, and Computational and Data Sciences. Scholarship recipients will qualify on the basis of academic merit; a minimum GPA of 3.0 is required. This scholarship is renewable.

This scholarship opens on February 1, 2025, and will close on May 31 for the 2025-2026 Academic School Year.

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The Biology Scholarship Fund was established in 2002 to provide scholarship support for students in the College of Science studying molecular biology and microbiology. 

This scholarship is currently closed, please contact the department of Biology for more information.

Sponsored by the former executives and employees of American Management Systems, Inc. (AMS), the AMS Opportunity Scholarship Fund is an endowed fund that provides scholarships to graduating high school seniors in Northern Virginia.

Founded in 1970, AMS was an early pioneer in establishing the Northern Virginia technology industry and was a leader in the community since its inception. Always headquartered in Northern Virginia, the company served both government and commercial clients with dedication and innovation. The spirit and culture of AMS lives on in its five founders and thousands of employees. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of its founding and to continue the legacy of promoting young talent, its former executives and alumni have started this Scholarship Fund to help Northern Virginia high school students continue their education in the STEM fields.

One $2,500 scholarship will be awarded.

Application Criteria

• Financial Need: Students eligible for free and reduced fee meal programs will automatically qualify.
• A completed FAFSA form will be considered and weighted.
• GPA of 2.7 or greater.
• Applicants must be applying for 2-year or 4-year degree/certification programs in accredited, not-for-profit colleges/universities/trade or vocational schools anywhere in the U.S.
• Preference will be given to students going on to study in STEM fields of interest that will position them for careers in existing industries or emerging technology fields.

Application Deadlines

• Applications Open: January 18, 2021
• Applications Due By: April 2, 2021
• Students Notified By: June 4, 2021

How to Apply

Visit https://www.cfnova.org/scholarship/ams-opportunity-scholarship-fund  

More information on this scholarship and other scholarships managed or administered by the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia is available at https://www.cfnova.org/scholarships. 

Please contact Jennifer Cochran, Manager of Grants and Scholarships, at jennifer.cochran@cfnova.org with any questions.